Rocket engines remain the primary launch engines for satellites, manned and unmanned space vehicles and the like. The solid rocket motors (SRMs) used in space shuttle launches, for example, each bum for about two minutes and generate about 3.3 million pounds of thrust. Other rocket engines (such as the Delta series rockets manufactured by the Boeing Company) are designed to propel large payloads (e.g. on the order of thirteen tons or more) into space with relatively short setup times (e.g. ten to twenty days).
Rocket-type propulsion engines are typically relatively difficult to transport from place to place (e.g. from a manufacturing or storage site to the launch site) due to their sheer size. The solid rocket motors used in space shuttle launches, for example, are approximately forty yards in length and about four yards in diameter, and weigh approximately seventy tons even when unloaded. Delta series rockets, as well as other types of rockets, are even larger (e.g. on the order of eighty yards in length or more) and therefore can be similarly unwieldy to transport.
Rocket engines are typically transported on a flatbed-type trailer that can be pulled by a semi-truck or railroad engine. These trailers, however, are generally relatively rigid, and flexing of the trailer during transport may result in localized loading and other stresses that could result in damage to the exterior of the engine. The risk of localized loading and associated damage to the engine is also present when the rocket engine is erected from the trailer to the upright launch position.
Accordingly, it is desirable to create a transport for rocket engines and other objects that is resistant to localized loading conditions. In addition, it is desirable to create a chock for a transport that is resistant to localized loading conditions. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.